Button Down Your Home’s Water Damage Risks Before You Pack Up with the Following Wintertime Disaster Prevention Tips
Planning for a long-awaited trip during the winter holidays does not begin and end with transportation choices, lodging decisions, gift-shipping, and suitcase packing. Diligent homeowners also complete appropriate inspection and maintenance of their dwellings to avoid disruption and disaster while away. National Disaster Recovery (NDR) strongly suggests that water damage prevention takes precedence on your pre-travel list of avoidable emergencies.
Is Your House Vulnerable to More Severe Water Damage While Standing Empty During the Winter Holidays?
Water crises are challenging to handle even when you are home to respond. Quick action from trained professionals can mitigate and remediate most water damage, but prolonged exposure to seepage, standing water, or flooding when your house is empty changes the scenario for the worse. If any of the following occurs during the days or weeks of your holiday absence, NDR stresses that what might otherwise have been a manageable and reversible accident now becomes a catastrophe:
-Tiny plumbing leaks that shatter into burst pipes
-Supply or waste pipes that freeze, break, and flood spaces with water or sewage when temperatures dip
-Worn appliance hoses that split or connections that loosen, spilling fluids
-Water heater or conditioner tanks that rupture, losing tens to hundreds of gallons of water as long as the main supply line valves are open
-Open windows or doors that admit precipitation
-Sub-par insulation, roofing, and ancillary structures that allow attic and ceiling leaks, including ice dam issues from clogged gutters
-Improperly configured, damaged, or missing gutters and downspouts that deposit heavy rains near your foundation, resulting in basement or lower level seepage
What Kind of Damage Stems from Water Incursions Suffered While You Visit Friends and Family?
Unabated water damage significantly and negatively affects residences. Persistent and lingering water saturates all types of building materials as well as the contents of your home. When water intrudes during a holiday trip, your happy homecoming can transform into a chaotic nightmare of:
-Soaked and splitting furniture frames, upholstery, and cushions
-Destroyed clothing, flooring, window treatments, pictures, papers, books, heirlooms, and other personal possessions
-Structural crumbling, warping, and even collapse
–Mold infestation
How Can Property Owners Prevent Unexpected Holiday Water Damage?
Conscientious homeowners take advantage of a wide range of ways to minimize exposure to water’s destructive powers. NDR suggests implementing strategies from among the following precautions to limit water damage possibilities:
-Inspect plumbing and appliances for signs of slow leaks or wear. Arrange for replacement or repairs if needed.
-Install and maintain a sump system to evacuate water collecting in crawl spaces, basements, or foundations.
-Consider automatic supply line shut-offs that react when they sense excess water.
-Shut off the main supply line, but be sure to drain the pipes to avoid freezing.
-Close the supply valves to water-using appliances, sinks, and toilets.
-Evaluate roofing for loose shingles or unattached flashings or vent covers, fixing problems promptly.
-Clear rain gutters of leaves and other debris and make sure they slope appropriately, directing precipitation toward properly installed downspouts that disperse runoff ten or more feet from the edge of your home.
-Weatherproof pipes running along exterior walls, installing additional insulation, or wrapping the lines with specially designed sleeves or heated tape.
-Maintain your HVAC system’s temperature well above freezing temperatures even when you are away.
-Deputize a friend or family member spending the holidays near your house to drop in and check for water damage issues.
Who Can Help if Water Damage Evades Preventative Approaches?
Water restoration experts in your county and throughout the country are ready to assist if damage occurs during holiday travel despite a homeowner’s best efforts to inhibit harm. National Disaster Recovery (NDR) compiles listings of reputable and reliable water mitigation, remediation, and restoration contractors throughout the country. Check out the water restorers NDR recommends in your area.
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